But will we ever have the situation where a defibrillator will be present at every game (and obviously with an operator on standby)?
I genuinely believe we will be in the situation, not too far in the future, when there will be defibrillators on standby at all competitive games, and where there will be proper screening procedures at various levels.
Every club or group that has a defibrillator is required to have several people trained in their use, so the answer is yes.
All of this could be speeded up dramatically if people in positions of power did more. It is a disgrace in this day and age that defibrillators are subject to VAT. I know there many be rules to say that you cannot take VAT off such items, but the government, with the huge financial boom, could easily offset the cost involved. In fact, with the election coming up, it should be given some pointed suggestions about doing this.
The other big problem is lack of information. It is shocking how little the government and the medical profession collectively do to raise awareness. The only way this issue returns to the top of the news is when we hear, every month or two, of some poor unfortunate person dying suddenly.
I think that the government, and even a lot of GPs, are reluctant to emphasise the issue to raise awareness, because they realise that the logical end of this would be more work for them.
But people no longer accept the 'head in the sand' approach to medicine, and because of this it is inevitable that positive changes will take place...the question is why should we have to wait so long?
I genuinely believe we will be in the situation, not too far in the future, when there will be defibrillators on standby at all competitive games, and where there will be proper screening procedures at various levels.
Every club or group that has a defibrillator is required to have several people trained in their use, so the answer is yes.
All of this could be speeded up dramatically if people in positions of power did more. It is a disgrace in this day and age that defibrillators are subject to VAT. I know there many be rules to say that you cannot take VAT off such items, but the government, with the huge financial boom, could easily offset the cost involved. In fact, with the election coming up, it should be given some pointed suggestions about doing this.
The other big problem is lack of information. It is shocking how little the government and the medical profession collectively do to raise awareness. The only way this issue returns to the top of the news is when we hear, every month or two, of some poor unfortunate person dying suddenly.
I think that the government, and even a lot of GPs, are reluctant to emphasise the issue to raise awareness, because they realise that the logical end of this would be more work for them.
But people no longer accept the 'head in the sand' approach to medicine, and because of this it is inevitable that positive changes will take place...the question is why should we have to wait so long?